In a city like Nashville—where "hot" country stars are a dime a dozen—it's rare to find a certified break-out star who has the goods to take it all the way. But for North Carolina native Chris Lane, 29, he's doing just that: His debut single, "Broken Windshield View," shattered digital sales with over 11,000 downloads in the first week, and Florida Georgia Line tapped the down-home Lane to open their summer tour. But what's even more fascinating is Lane's ambition—he completely changed career paths when injuries to a promising professional baseball career ended prematurely. Not sure of what to do next, he picked up the guitar and learned the business from the inside out. The singe Lane, currently performing all over the country, called us from his tour bus to play a new game on Glamour that we're calling, "10 Fun Icebreakers With..." Get ready to meet your newest country crush.
Glamour: You're joining Florida Georgia Line and Nelly for a four-day cruise this fall with fans. Where are you most likely to spend most of your time: the 24-hour food court, the casino, or activities like bowling and the climbing wall?
Chris Lane: The activities! Golfing, bowling, you name it. I may not come off the cruise! I've never even actually been on a cruise before, so I hope I don't get seasick!
Glamour: You played college baseball but were plagued by injuries. If you were guaranteed a successful major league baseball career, would you trade it all in now?
Chris: Whoa! That's a tough question! You know what, I don't think I would. I love music more than I loved baseball, even though all I did growing up was sports. I wouldn't trade music for anything.
Glamour: You've said you'd most like to go on tour with Taylor Swift. Let's see how well you know her. What are the names of her cats?
Chris: I cannot name one of her cats. [Laughs]
Glamour: One of the cats is named after one of the main characters on Grey's Anatomy.
Chris: If you give me the first letter of its name, I'll probably be able to get it.
Glamour: It starts with an M.
Chris: OK, maybe I won't be able to get it. [Laughs] I don't know! I'm at a loss for words.
Glamour: It's Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson. So, the next time you see her, ask "How's Meredith and Olivia doing?"
Chris: Haha! All right, I'm definitely going to do that. That'd be a good icebreaker for me also. I have a dog named Rudy. I love pets. He's a Lab mixed with a pit, and he's very smart and listens to everything he's told.
Glamour: Your inspirations are Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, and George Strait. Let's say you have to take a cross-country flight and get to sit next to one of them. Which one do you pick?
Chris: I'd have to say Keith Urban. As much as I love Garth Brooks and George Strait, I just love Keith Urban and look up to him so much. I'd probably have a lot of questions for him. I'd have to write 'em down and memorize 'em before I got on the plane. I'd be so nervous! I met him once and didn't know what to say, so the first thing I'd say on the plane would be, "Sorry for acting like such an idiot!" Oh, and I'd also love to sit next to Shania Twain. I love me some Shania!
Glamour: The South is known for its amazing, artery-clogging food. What foods would your splurge day consist of?
Chris: I'm just a sucker for home-cooked food. My mom was a great cook growing up, so I'd want green beans, corn, macaroni, steak, or barbecued chicken.
Glamour: What's your worst habit at home: leaving clothes on the floor or not changing your sheets enough?
Chris: I'm actually a crazy neat freak, so I'm on top of my game when it comes to that. I guess I'd say maybe I should change my sheets more often. [Laughs] But I can cook and clean really well!
Glamour: What's something your girlfriend or your ex-girlfriends would tease you about?
Chris: Well, I'm single, so my ex-girlfriends would say...gosh, I shouldn't even say this out loud, but it would be my love of the Backstreet Boys. [Laughs] I was never in their fan club, but I can probably sing you every single song!
Glamour: Looking back, what's the gutsiest decision you've made in your career that paid off?
Chris: Not playing professional baseball. At the time, I had just started to learn how to play the guitar, all because I had gone to a few Keith Urban concerts. I was inspired by that—not even to sing, but just play the guitar. It's crazy how things turned out because never did I think I'd be singing in front of people, let alone in baseball stadiums of all things. Baseball was all I did my whole life and to be hindered through those surgeries...I was worried things wouldn't work out after college, but looking back, I'm really happy all that stuff happened because I'm doing something that I really love now.__
Glamour: If you had to give up all social media or TV for a month, which one would it be?
Chris: Golly, that's tough! I guess I'd have to give up TV only because social media for an artist is huge. I love interacting with all the fans. [Ed. note: You can follow Chris on Twitter here and on Instagram here].
Glamour: Fill in the blank: It takes me_ minutes to style my awesome head of hair.__
Chris: Haha! Maybe five minutes. I just dry it up a little bit and throw some paste in it. I have the thickest head of hair ever, so when you push it in place, it kind of just stays.
Glamour: The '80s sitcom that I'll always stop to watch on TV is?
Chris: Saved by the Bell, hands down! That started in 1989 with the junior high years, so it still counts! If I see those shows now, I will watch and laugh harder now than I did when I watched back then.
Glamour: One more bonus question: You have a twin brother, Cory. What's the craziest thing you two have ever done?
Chris: We used to try to swap [identities] all the time growing up. We looked more alike when we were younger than we do now. Even in college, we even tried to trick our baseball coach and change positions. It didn't work out for us! In the fourth grade, I remember he went to all my classes and I went to all of his. It's actually become a problem now because I'll do meet and greets after the show, but he'll be hanging near the audience. Tons of people will run up to him to try and get pictures. He'll try to explain he's not me and try to pull out his driver's license, but people don't believe him!
__Have you seen Chris perform with FGL? And will you be going on the cruise this fall?
